Monthly Archives: March 2014

One of the goals on my 2014 manifesto was to learn a new vocabulary word each day. With the help of daily emails and the Facebook page from Dictionary.com, this goal is super easy to accomplish. These are the words for March:

*All of the images and information is copied directly from the dictionary.com Facebook page.

Welcome to Motivational Monday! A safe space to lay it all out on the table- no one is perfect, and every one needs a boost now and again. What time is better than on Monday, that sunny little bright spot of the week? Pull up a chair, keep an open mind, and let’s start this week right!

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”

– Eleanor Roosevelt

When you have dreams and ambitions, and actively work toward those goals, then the future really does belong to you. Your future is what you make it. Trust the process, trust yourself, and never give up on your dreams. You never know what tomorrow will bring. Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful. The bumps in the road teach us what we need to learn, and also make those beautiful moments even happier.

Welcome to Motivational Monday! A safe space to lay it all out on the table- no one is perfect, and every one needs a boost now and again. What time is better than on Monday, that sunny little bright spot of the week? Pull up a chair, keep an open mind, and let’s start this week right!

Sometimes we can get so caught up in the day to day that we forget to focus on our future. By creating a personalized vision board we can focus on our long term goals- the purpose, to depict (and lead us to) our desired future. It is a tool that serves as your image of what you want- a tangible representation of your dreams, goals and ideal life. A vision board, as dumb as it may sound, is one of the most powerful visualization tools available to us.

The brain responds strongly to visual stimulation, so find pictures that represent or symbolize the experiences, feelings, and possessions you want to attract into your life, and arrange them in your board. Your board can be any size you want, whether it’s a large board you can hang on a wall, or a small card on your bathroom mirror, have fun with the process! Use photographs, magazine cutouts, pictures from the Internet–whatever inspires you. Then make sure you begin each day studying it- visualizing, affirming, believing and internalizing your goals. Make sure you write the date you make your board on the back, because I’ll bet you’ll be amazed at how fast you reach those goals when they become such an part of you.

So what can we focus on this week? Make that vision board, and post it up where you can see it every morning! As an example to help you get started or inspired, the picture above is my vision board.

Welcome to ‘Exploring Kansas City’! A collection of adventures, restaurants and places to go in and around beautiful Kansas City. So get off the couch, put on your dancing shoes, and let’s have an adventure!

Incredibly, this was my first time eating at the renowned Lidia’s restaurant in Kansas City, and it lived up to its reputation. The famed restaurateur and public TV cooking host Lidia Bastianich chose Kansas City for her first restaurant outside of New York, and I sure am glad it’s here! Nestled in the Freighthouse District, it’s a stone’s throw from Union Station, and the Crossroads with nearby art galleries and shops. Miraculously we were seated right away at 7:40 on a Saturday evening, and enjoyed a scrumptious dinner. It’s so nice to eat in an establishment that feels both homey, unique and fancy- with a server who knows his stuff. He knew all about the menu, recommending the risotto when he could tell I was wavering between options (OOOOHHH my goodness. Yum.) He also was able to tell us all about the magnificent blown-glass chandeliers, fashioned by a student of Dale Chihuly.

The food is amazing. Seriously. If you have a date or business dinner coming up, consider Lidia’s – you will not regret it!

Welcome to Motivational Monday! A safe space to lay it all out on the table- no one is perfect, and every one needs a boost now and again. What time is better than on Monday, that sunny little bright spot of the week? Pull up a chair, keep an open mind, and let’s start this week right!

What lies before us and what lies behind us are small matters compared to what lies within us.

And when you bring what is within out into the world, miracles happen.

-Henry David Thoreau

No matter your past, no matter your current prospects for the future, what you give to the world right now, this very moment is what matters. If you give your best, and you give your all, only good things will come from it and come back to you. Just remember, in the end everything will be ok, if it’s not ok, it’s not the end. We must be the ones to bring good, and change, love and light to the world.

So what can we focus on this week? Offer the best you have to give- you!

Welcome to Motivational Monday! A safe space to lay it all out on the table- no one is perfect, and every one needs a boost now and again. What time is better than on Monday, that sunny little bright spot of the week? Pull up a chair, keep an open mind, and let’s start this week right!

A couple of days ago a dear friend introduced me to the 100 Happy Days challenge. The gist of it is to take a picture of something that makes you happy in your life each day for 100 days, and post that picture on a social media outlet with the hashtag #100happydays. (If you want to check mine out they will all be on Instagram under my handle, kflakes. All of this is done after you sign up for free on http://100happydays.com/. Why do this? Here’s the reason from the website: ‘We live in times when super-busy schedules have become something to boast about. While the speed of life increases, there is less and less time to enjoy the moment that you are in. The ability to appreciate the moment, the environment and yourself in it, is the base for the bridge towards long term happiness of any human being.’

I signed up to remind myself to recognize happy moments in each day- I just hope I can constrain myself to only upload one photo a day! Even if you don’t want to sign up for this challenge of uploading a picture every day, try to be more cognizant of moments that make you happy. Perhaps this will lead you to seek out more situations that make you happy. It seems to me that happy people are more motivated, accomplish more, and are more optimistic.

So what can we focus on this week (and for forever?) Be happy!

To leave you in a happier mood, have a listen to Pharrell Williams’ song ‘Happy’!

Welcome to Motivational Monday! A safe space to lay it all out on the table- no one is perfect, and every one needs a boost now and again. What time is better than on Monday, that sunny little bright spot of the week? Pull up a chair, keep an open mind, and let’s start this week right!

“Everything in your life is a reflection of a choice you have made. If you want a different result, make a different choice.”

I don’t know if there could be a more blunt motivational quote to just give you a swift kick in the pants. We all have complaints or things we aren’t happy with in our life- and most of those things are within our control. Let’s use this day- and this week to take a look at what we want to change, and think of a way to make a different choice so our lives may take a better path.

So what can we focus on this week? Make your life yours. Take responsibility for your choices, and give this world the best thing you have to offer. YOU.